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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29028162">Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellionne/pseuds/Ellionne'>Ellionne</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Harry Potter And The Horcruxes [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Cursed Harry Potter, Harry Potter is a Horcrux, Hogwarts Fourth Year, Horcrux Hunting, M/M, POV Voldemort (Harry Potter), Possessive Harry Potter, btw - Canon Divergence starts in Second Year, it was intended as fluffy crack IT'S NOT</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:48:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,947</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29028162</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellionne/pseuds/Ellionne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“He has noticed you. Now you’ll have to stay.” </p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Harry Potter And The Horcruxes [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2105601</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>94</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><b>Do NOT repost; recreate or translate only with permission.</b><br/> </p><p>Thanks to my beta <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeuroWriter14/pseuds/NeuroWriter14">NeuroWriter14</a> &lt;3</p><p>  <del>Just ignore that I'm procrastinating on doing the actual work I get paid for or working on my planned fics by writing random prompts that I've technically no time for</del></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was curious.</p><p>For all that the goblins always stressed the impossibility of breaking into their vaults, it was unexpectedly easy. Ah well, it was easy for a Dark Lord who had been unparalleled brilliant even before he had shed himself of the shackles of mortality.<br/>
And Voldemort hadn’t technically broken into one of the vaults yet and, more importantly, he hadn’t escaped yet. Wasn’t that part of the horror stories, that the goblins liked to tell everyone who listened? That, even <em>if </em>someone was able to break <em>into </em>a vault, they wouldn’t be able to break <em>out </em>of it.</p><p>Voldemort scoffed.</p><p>He had the utmost faith in his own abilities. He had, after all, not just secured immortality before he even had reached adulthood - he had also surpassed the limitations of humanity as a whole. Even <em>if </em>he would have trouble breaking out again, it would hardly be his demise. He would manage sooner or later. </p><p>If his long years as a wraith had taught him anything, it had been patience and how to survive with no company but his own. And with his newly created body, able to sustain itself with magic alone, it wasn’t as if starvation would be a concern - it would never be a concern again. Tom Riddle had been weak to fear it almost as much as Death itself. </p><p>Lord Voldemort was neither weak nor did he had anything left to fear.</p><p>He was only mildly worried.</p><p> </p><p>For after his resurrection - improvised as the ritual had needed to be with the wretched boy, his prophesied arch-enemy, running away before his first task in the Triwizard Tournament - Voldemort had made a rather unsettling discovery. </p><p>Alone as he had been after his glorious rebirth, the blood of the enemy replaced by the life of a willing and an unwilling servant, he preferred it this way. The Wizarding World wouldn’t know what hit them - he had learned from the mistakes of his hot-blooded human past. He would hide in the shadows like the snake-inspired god amongst man he was, and he would strike hard and unexpected until the sheep crumbled to their knees in the only posture that befitted them.</p><p>But first, he needed to track down his Horcruxes. Just before he had cachinnating fulfilled his duty as a willing sacrifice, his most faithful Barty had warned him about whispers among Dumbledore’s men. About the hunt of objects linked to Voldemort himself. </p><p>And true enough, when Voldemort set out to retrieve them, they had vanished.</p><p>The Diary, entrusted in his loyal Abraxas’ hands, lost by his useless son just a few years before. If Voldemort had read the signs right, the Chamber of Secrets had been opened briefly, but nothing had come out of it, a few petrifications aside.<br/>
At least the son had been useful to get to the Locket - or he would have been if it hadn’t been a hoax! Voldemort had tracked down the house-elf of the Black family that had accompanied him the last time but found him murdered, the ancient Black Home in Grimmauld Place just as burned down as the Gaunt Hut, where he had looked for the Ring before. </p><p>The Diadem was unreachable in Hogwarts, but he had heard rumours that the Room of Requirement had been destroyed just after the first task. It had made Voldemort pause.<br/>
After the first task was incidentally just around the time Harry Potter had vanished from Hogwarts. He had briefly considered if this was what the boy had been up to, but the thought alone was ridiculous. </p><p>For leaving the Tournament prematurely, there had to be expected some kind of punishment. It was almost impossible to guess what would happen, the only common theme seemed to be that the punishment was in some way related to the Tournament itself as well as to the reasons a champion chose to forsake it. The records varied - from death to being cursed for life or <em>simply </em>losing one’s magic, everything seemed to be possible. </p><p>Either way, Harry Potter was obviously not a concern any longer. </p><p> </p><p><em> A concern </em>was to find his Horcruxes. Which was why he had taken the risk to break into Gringotts in the dead of the night, following a pull on his soul deeper and deeper into the realm of the goblins until he stood before the vault, he just <em>knew </em>his Horcrux was in.</p><p>It was curious.</p><p>He had never been to the Lestrange Vaults but he had been led to believe that these deepest pits he had just descended into weren’t for the use of wizards. They were old, almost holy for the goblins - as much as anything but gold could ever be sacred to these filthy and greedy little things. </p><p>The vault wasn’t just sealed by a door. It was a <em> gate </em>that didn’t look like anything he knew from further above. Neither his own vault nor the immensely deeper located Malfoy Vault had been as tall and wide and richly decorated as this one.<br/>
It was only befitting. After all, behind these doors rested a soul-shard of Lord Voldemort himself. He might even continue to keep it there. Considering the amount of time he had spent into working around the wards to let him pass them - amusingly enough, it was only due to the Horcrux resting behind the door, that made it possible for Voldemort to eventually open a passage for himself. Even goblin magic wasn’t able to keep a soul apart.<br/>
So, as long as he would meditate later and concentrate on one of the Horcruxes <em>outside </em>of the door, he should be able to break out again without further trouble.</p><p>Voldemort allowed himself a small smirk as he took a step through the narrowly opened passage. No one could have accounted for his genius and daring to create multiple Horcruxes. He couldn’t fault the goblins for this one mistake in their otherwise flawless warding. </p><p>He arrived in a great hall full of gold and riches, piling up and up in various mountains of wealth so obscene it momentarily distracted him from the passage closing behind him, sealing the gate and with it the vault again.<br/>
It didn’t matter, he would just open a new one later.</p><p>Wandering through the pathways between the treasures, Voldemort took great care in not touching anything. He knew of the nasty curses, the goblins tended to implement in their security. He was just here for what belonged rightfully to him and nothing else. If he ever were in need of money, he wouldn’t need to steal. He would just-</p><p>“You shouldn’t be here.”</p><p>With a flourish, Voldemort turned on his heel, wand at the ready and spell on his lips only to be petrified upon looking into the face that had once been his own.</p><p>Tom Riddle and Lord Voldemort stood across motionless observing each other. Either finding the other lacking in his appearance as the same distasteful sneer, barley hidden by a stony mask, on their face showed. But there was something about Tom Riddle that made Voldemort pause. It made him consider. </p><p>“You are too young.”</p><p>A slow smirk spread over Tom Riddle’s face, smoothing out his features until it was the perfectly handsome face that did nothing but remind Voldemort of the worthless father who had shared the same.</p><p>“You are too young to be the soul-shard that was stored in the cup.”</p><p>The smooth features took on a sharp edge, it made the face look as cruel as Voldemort had never allowed it to openly show when he had worn it. It had been different times with different approaches to gain power. When he had thought he could catch more flies with honey. Back, when he had been clad in the same Hogwarts robe and Slytherin tie like the boy in front of him.</p><p>“I am. Because I’m not.” </p><p>A rippling in the mountain of gold caused a steady flow of coins and gems towards the ground. It distracted Voldemort from the cryptic words of the boy who should be nothing but a half-forgotten memory. The mountain appeared to be moving from within, treasures falling down and spreading around in a way that made it impossible for Voldemort to avoid them all - but surprisingly, no curse was activated upon a simple touch.</p><p>“He has noticed you. Now you’ll have to stay.” </p><p>“What-”</p><p>Voldemort stopped short when he focused back on his counterpart. The besotted expression on Tom Riddle’s face was the single most disturbing thing Voldemort had ever seen in his long life. It was <em>wrong </em>on so many levels, he couldn’t even start to name them. </p><p>“He won’t let you go. He’s obsessed with me, with us. He <em> is </em> one of us.”</p><p>There was a hint of fear in his eyes, almost drowned out by the adoration but both were alien enough in Tom Riddle’s otherwise familiar face for Voldemort to notice without trouble.</p><p>“I’m sorry.”</p><p>And without a trace, Tom Riddle vanished into thin air, leaving Voldemort alone in the softly lightened vault. But was he truly alone? </p><p>Voldemort turned slowly in a circle, his never blinking eyes taking in all that was around him. He parted his lips to scent the air and was almost overwhelmed by the impression of <em>predator </em>that drenched the vault in its eternity. For the first time in his life, Voldemort felt like prey and he didn’t like it one bit. Maybe it was for the better to just let the Cup, as well as possibly the Diary, be. They seemed to be protected well enough.</p><p>He turned back to the gate with wide steps, concentrating on his Horcruxes as he went. Intent on leaving the vault behind as long as he couldn’t grasp what had aspired to compromise the Diary in such a way. He would never admit it but it was unsettling to watch a version of himself behaving as it had.</p><p>Even more unsettling was the impression of <em>turn around </em>deep in his soul where he concentrated on his Horcruxes. It shouldn’t be possible. At least one should be <em>above </em>for sure? Nonetheless, Voldemort turned around and-</p><p>
  <em> Well, well. Look who eventually visits.  </em>
</p><p>It looked like a dragon but it couldn’t be one.<br/>
It was too large, that much was obvious even halfway hidden in the mountain of gold as it was. It’s blazing green eyes too intelligent to belong to a mere beast. The magic around it so strong and suppressing, Voldemort wasn’t able to call on his own.<br/>
How hadn’t he noticed it before? All he had felt was the presence of a Horcrux.</p><p>Voldemorts jaw went slack as he took in more details of the black-scaled beast before him.</p><p>A Horcrux like the Diadem, resting on one of its golden horns.<br/>
A Horcrux like the Ring that was fastened on the Locket, both wound around its thin but strong wrist that laid resting on an old and well-used book, the Diary.<br/>
And of course, the Cup that had led him here, currently being played with by sharp claws.</p><p><em> I didn’t believe Tom would be able to lure you in. </em> <em><br/>
</em> <em> But of course, he did. It’s Tom, isn’t it? </em></p><p>The beast sounded fond, of all things.<br/>
The tone was enough to make the reappeared Tom Riddle blush like one of the demented girls that had regularly proposed to him at school. </p><p>A disgrace Voldemort had never intended to witness.<br/>
A disgrace, almost enough for Voldemort to miss the implication of the beast’s words. </p><p>“What did you do?”</p><p> </p><p>Tom Riddle leaned into the beast, resting his head on its strong shoulder and smiled serenely at Lord Voldemort.</p><p> </p><p>“I stayed alive. As will you.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Prompt by Imamagicmuffin (CoS Discord): Dragon!Harry who curls protectively around his hoard, which is just all of Voldemort's Horcruxes</p><p>I wanted to write cracky fluff but as you might have noticed... I wasn't successful on that front and I've no idea what happened either o_o' I've written down a weirdly specific headcanon for the background of this fic tho, if anyone is interested xD<br/>-----<br/>I have <a href="https://ellionne.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a> now. Feel free to check it out and throw me a question or something. :D</p></blockquote></div></div>
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